Optimization of medical waste recycling network considering disposal capacity bottlenecks under a novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak

Abstract

The sudden outbreak and prolonged impact of the global novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic has caused an increase in demand for medical products, such as masks and protective clothing, leading to an exponential increase in the generation of medical waste. As medical waste under the epidemic is highly infectious, it poses a great danger to human health. Therefore, with the proliferation of medical waste, it has become crucial to construct a reverse logistics recycling network that can handle medical waste quickly and efficiently. In this study, we construct a multi-period medical waste emergency reverse logistics network siting model with the objectives of minimum cost, minimum safety risk, and minimum time for the safe and quick disposal of medical waste. The model considers disposal capacity bottlenecks of existing facilities. Based on an empirical analysis using the COVID-19 epidemic in New York City, USA, as a case study, we find that the use of a suitable number of synergistic facilities and the establishment of temporary medical waste disposal centers are viable options for handling the dramatic increase in medical waste during the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic.

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“…This would stand to delimit efforts at preventing end disposal facilities from being overwhelmed due to the additional amount of wastes generated during the pandemic. In other countries, recycling network models using a reverse logistics design have since been developed and proposed based on case studies in China ( 74 , 75 ) and Iran ( 76 , 77 ), but have yet to be seen in effective practice.…”

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“…However, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all these efforts. Demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), safety screens, and single-use plastic products, such as takeout containers, plastic bags, and packaging, has skyrocketed (Sharma et al, 2020;Mei et al, 2021). Regulators have postponed or lifted bans, prohibited consumers from using reusable items (Tenenbaum, 2020), and interrupted recycling services to prevent crosscontamination (Leonard & Mallos, 2020).…”